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ROBERT FOULIS, OF ST. JOHNS, NEW BRUNS\VICK.

ILLUMINATING-GAS APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,318, dated October 12, 1852.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, ROBERT FoULis, of St. Johns, in the Province of New Brunswick, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Making Gas, and that the following is a full, clear, and exactI description of the principle or character which distinguishes them from all other things before known and of the usual manner of making, modifying, and using the same.

In the usual mode of manufacturing gas from coal, or other hydrocarbonaceous matter, by destructive distillation in retort-s, the escape pipe is placed near the door or cover at the coldest end of the retort, so that a considerable portion of the bituminous vapors pass off without the necessary decomposition, which causes the elements to assume a permanently elastic form, so that the result of refrigeration is the condensation of said vapors into coal tar, &c.

The principal objects which I contemplate in improvements which I wish to secure by Letters Patent, are as follows:

Firstly, my object is to effect, by the use of my'in-vention, a more effectual decomposition of the vapors arising from heated masses of coal, or other hydrocarbonaceous matter, and eect this before any condensation of the vapors can take place. My improvements also embrace a new mode of gas refrigeration, which is effected by a current of air passing up pipes placed in the interior or exterior, or both in and over pipes containing illuminating gas. My invention also places the purifying apparatus in the center of the tank, and under the gas-holder or eX- terior to the same, and communicating therewith, so that the water of the said tank may surround perpendicularly the sides of the purifying vessel, the gas escaping from the upper surface of the said purifying vessel into the gas-holder, or by a communication with pipe or pipes, said purifying vessel being supplied from a tank containing the purifying liquids to be used in the manner hereafter described, in which a number of flat vessels, called trays, in the interior of said apparatus, are supplied with a purifying liquid, or the same removed by washing out with a force pump, or by rendering the cleaning and discharging the same, self-acting, by the gravity of the fluids employed. I employ, under an efiicient and convenient arrangement for diluting the gas which may be too rich in carbon for clear illumination,

hydrogen formed by the decomposition of water dropping upon red hotanthracite coal or charcoal, with or without fragments of iron. Description of a sectional drawing of Foulis Hydro Olofiant Gas Apparatus. l

A, A, Figure 1, is a vertical retort suspended in furnace B, B, by the flange e, e. In the interior of the retort is placed a false bottom, C, C, from which arises the pipe D, D. Above this false bottom, O, C, is placed the coal or other substances, 5, 5, to be decomposed within the surrounding false case or lining (a, 01,), which rests upon the false bottom. The return tube serves not only a special purpose in the economy of the gas; but is the means by which the false bottom and false lining, together with the charge, can be lifted out and replaced. When the heat is applied to the retort, the gas or vapor arising therefrom, in place of escaping in the usual way, has to pass downward through the pipe D, D, and comes in contact with that portion or chamber of the retort b, which is heated to a decomposing temperature, and which contains the anthracite, Sac. after which the permanent gaseous matter passes off by the exit pipe F, F Figs. l, and 2. Through the retort, or otherwise, I introduce a small pipe (00,), which passes downward into or over the upper opening of the pipe D. The upper part of this small pipe communicates with a cistern Z, which contains water, which is allowed to drop on heated portions 'of anthracite coal or charcoal with which may be mixed fragments of iron or other substances capable, when heated, of decomposing water, the hydrogen of which, in its nascent state, combines or mixes with, or dilutes, the permanent gases given out by the coal or other substances used in the manufacture of gas in the retort A, A. Said water-pipe and cistern are also useful for regulating the temperature of the bottom of the retort A A. The false bottom C, C, and pipe D, D, also hold a number of l lso instance'in the making of oxygen from nitrate potash; these are obviated by the employment of the trays, each containing a comparatively small mass. For every retort there is a number of duplicate false bottoms, with the tubes, etc., which are kept charged with the material intended to be used for the manufacture of gas, so that when the charge from one has been exhausted, and the charge drawn by means of a chain and winch, or otherwise, one previously filled is inserted in its place. After the gas has passed into the vessel Gr, and deposited by refrigeration, the

""aminoniacal' or bituminous matter that may have escaped decomposition, (said vessel also serving the purpose of the ordinary hydraulic ma1n),'it may pass off by any of the modes commonly in use. In cases where air refrigeration is used, the gas will pass into the double F3 and Fu. The gas thus refrigerated descends, passing through pipe F5, into the purifying vessel H, H, which is surrounded perpendicularly with the water of the gas-holder tank, and under the gasholder, or it may be placed exterior tothe same, and communicating therewith by means of pipe or pipes. When placed beneath the gas-holder L, L, the top of the purifier is above the water of the tank, and is open to the holder containing gas. The purifying vessel is furnished with a series of trays R, R, a ground plan of which is shown in Fig. 4; from each of these trays proceed downward a pipe I, I, &c., and this pipel also rises above the bot-tom of the trays R, R, so that when they are placed level, they will contain a portion of liquid by the dotted lines; but all above the mouth of the pipe must escape downward through the various trays, leaving in each a shallow stratum of liquid, the overplus descending into the escape pipe (S,) which passes out-ward from the bottom of the tank M, M. The li uid mixture, which is intended for the puri cation of the gas, is put in the cistern O, which is placed above the level of the top of the purifier.

P, is a wire gauze partition, through which the solution passes into the pipe g, g, first downward, and then upward, discharging into the upper tray o-f the purifying vessel H, H. The surplus liquid above the mouth of the pipe I, passing off as before stated. I may also use a force pump for the charging and discharging the said trays, by the pipe (g, g,) or a similar one. The gas passes from the gas-holder into the mains, in the usual manner, for illumination.

What I claim as my invention, and desire Ato secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The return pipe D, in combination with the retort, substantially as set forth.

2. I claim, in combination with said pipe, the false bottom and lining, as described.

3. I claim the arrangement of the decomposing chamber b, in combination with the return pipe in the vertical retort.

4. I claim the employment of the series of decomposing trays under the arrangement in the vertical retort, substantially as described in combination with the central pipe.

5. I claim refrigerating the gas by air, substantially in the manner described.

ROBERT FoULrs.

Witnesses WM. GREENOUGH,

J. G. WOODWARD. 

